Vietnam to try legal scholar who sued prime minister

HANOI (Reuters) - A Vietnamese legal scholar who sued the prime minister and called for an end to one-party rule went on trial on Monday on charges of spreading propaganda against the state and faces up to 12 years in jail. Cu Huy Ha Vu was arrested in November and later indicted for circulating anti-government material. Detention and imprisonment of people who advocate political change in Vietnam or challenge the government on sensitive topics are not uncommon, but Vu's case has garnered attention at home and abroad because of his pedigree and brazenness. Vu is the son of Cu Huy Can, a famous poet who served as a parliamentarian and government minister and was a confidant of Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. He gained notoriety when he sued Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in June 2009 over controversial government plans to mine and process bauxite with Chinese he...